Have you joined in the fun of Lewis & Clark Library's new Spice of the Month club? Last month, I picked up a free sample of cardamom along with a beautiful recipe card featuring a Cardamom Sponge Cake, or Doolsho. After making my own Doolsho cake, let me tell you, I LOVE MAKING THIS CAKE! The Doolsho cake is a Somalian sponge cake traditionally served in the afternoon with tea. The cake's main flavor comes from the cardamom and a splash of vanilla. It is delicious in its simplicity and the aroma of the cardamom is a dream. I chose to dust my first Doolsho cake with powdered sugar to add sweetness and decoration, but in subsequent cakes I've gone without any topping and enjoyed it as is. The cake's lovely golden color and its flavor is just right to accompany a nice Chai tea. (Hint: check your chai tea to see if it also uses cardamom.)
Although this cake is fairly simple to make, it's not a completely beginner friendly recipe. You'll need to carefully separate the egg yolks from the whites and an electric mixer will come in handy to whip those egg whites into stiff peaks. Another essential item for this recipe is the Bundt cake pan. Bundt cake pans come in many attractive designs and are essentially a ring shape. Bundt cakes are meant to be moist. The ring shape of the pan helps to ensure that the cake won't be undercooked in the middle. In all my years of baking, I confess, I have never made a Bundt cake so I invested in a new pan, and I'm so glad I did. I really enjoy making and sharing this cake. It's inspired me to try out new Bundt cake recipes, too. *See below.
On a side note, the Doolsho Cardamom Sponge Cake calls for standard all purpose flour, but if you need to make a gluten-free cake, it's a snap to convert this recipe. Just buy a pre-packaged 1 to 1 flour and substitute the gluten-free flour. Your cake will turn out perfect! This recipe calls for 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and given the expensiveness of most gluten-free baked goods, this cake is definitely more economical simply because it uses less flour. For this fact alone, I may use the Doolsho recipe as a base for creating more cakes in the future.
The Spice of the Month club has inspired and delighted my baking pursuits. I'm excited to see what future spices and recipes will be featured each month. And if you'd like to partake, stop by the library and head over to the cookbook/baking section. You'll find the spice samples and recipe cards on the end cap.
*In my pursuit of more Bundt cake recipes, here are a few of my new favorite baking books available at the library:
Everyday Cake by Polina Chesnakova
A humble slice, square, or wedge of homemade cake never fails to delight and here you'll find forty-five simple recipes to make any day feel a bit special. Using ingredients that are readily available, these cakes are unfussy yet sweetly indulgent. Recipes are arranged using pans most of us already have in our kitchens- round, square, loaf, rectangle, sheet, and Bundt. Flavors include warm spices, herbs and flowers, and sweet essences, plus chocolate, fruit, nuts, and seeds. An appealingly wide range of cakes will tickle every fancy: The Vanilla Malted Milk with Milk Chocolate Frosting would be perfect for a birthday celebration . The Lemon and Lavender Yogurt cake would be quick to make and satisfying with cup of tea . The Roasted Strawberry with Whipped Creme Fraiche Shortcake would be the perfect way to end a summer supper. There's something for every mood and craving in Everyday Cakes.
Find Everyday Cake in the library catalog
Bake from Scratch (Vol 7)by Brian Hart Hoffman (Editor)
Meet the cookbook for bakers, by bakers. This new recipe collection from the brilliant minds behind Bake from Scratch magazine is a triumph of dough and batter, butter and flour. This latest collection of over 400 recipes from the editors of Bake from Scratch magazine features step-by-step tutorials, tried-and-tested recipes, and stunning photography. This cookbook will have you mastering yeasted breads, layer cakes and so much more in no time. Showcasing fresh, seasonal ingredients and celebrating tradition and history, this edition will offers something for every baking skill level from novice to expert. So, dust your surfaces with flour and preheat your oven, bakers. Let the baking begin! With gorgeous full color photography accompanying each baked good, you'll find a wealth of visual inspiration and detailed tutorials to guide you from beginning to bake. All recipes have been tested and retested with the home baker in mind, formulated to be both accessible and exciting. Celebrate the joy of artisanal baking with this essential tome.
Find Bake from Scratch in the library catalog
Fruit Cake by Jason Schreiber
In gorgeous photos and dozens of fresh and flavorful recipes, acclaimed food stylist Jason Schreiber shatters misconceptions about that most maligned of desserts--fruitcake--by imaginatively breaking with convention as he pays homage to the delicious combination of fruit and cake. Forget those dried artificially dyed candied doorstops that everyone regifts and passes on. Fruit Cake is a tasty epicurean tour through dozens of cakes and other pastries that use a variety of fruits, combining them with diverse fillings, as well as liquor, nuts, and more. Interwoven with the recipes are stories, anecdotes and asides that are just as charming and intriguing as the lush, full-color photos that accompany them. Each recipe in Fruit Cake showcases one of thirty-eight fruit, whose natural sweetness and juice make desserts that are perfectly moist and sweet without being overpowering. Indulge your taste buds with his beautiful, fanciful creations, including:
Constant Cravings--cakes like Raspberry Tea Cake and Polenta Pound Cake with Spiced Mandarins that will satisfy your cravings at any hour of day Out of Hand--finger-focused treats perfect for pocketing or dressing to impress, such as Mango Coconut Cashew Bites and Blueberry Ginger Studmuffins
Showstoppers--cakes for the spotlight that you can humblebrag about "just throwing together," including Passionfruit Lime Pavlova and Horchata and Roasted Plum Sorbet Cake
All Rise--the next best thing to eating sumptuous creations like the Blood Orange Bee Sting Cake or Bourbon Peach Kugelhopf, and other sumptuous creations is smelling the just-risen yeasted dough
Soaked--try one slice of these decadent cakes that marinate in booze for days--whether it's the likes of the Pomegranate Molasses Cake or the Fig, Port, and Chocolate Cake--and you'll need a designated driver. Filled with divine desserts for all seasons, this wonderful cookbook will forever change the way you think about fruit and cake.
Find Fruit Cake in the library catalog
Also available for digital checkout:
Hoopla eBook
I hope you find as much joy as I did perusing cookbooks and checking out the Spice of the Month club offerings for October. For more information about the Spice of the Month club, check out the LCL website and stay tuned for more delicious suggestions.
Have you joined in the fun of Lewis & Clark Library's new Spice of the Month club? Last month, I picked up a free sample of cardamom along with a beautiful recipe card featuring a Cardamom Sponge Cake, or Doolsho. After making my own Doolsho cake, let me tell you, I LOVE MAKING THIS CAKE! The Doolsho cake is a Somalian sponge cake traditionally served in the afternoon with tea. The cake's main flavor comes from the cardamom and a splash of vanilla. It is delicious in its simplicity and the aroma of the cardamom is a dream. I chose to dust my first Doolsho cake with powdered sugar to add sweetness and decoration, but in subsequent cakes I've gone without any topping and enjoyed it as is. The cake's lovely golden color and its flavor is just right to accompany a nice Chai tea. (Hint: check your chai tea to see if it also uses cardamom.)
Although this cake is fairly simple to make, it's not a completely beginner friendly recipe. You'll need to carefully separate the egg yolks from the whites and an electric mixer will come in handy to whip those egg whites into stiff peaks. Another essential item for this recipe is the Bundt cake pan. Bundt cake pans come in many attractive designs and are essentially a ring shape. Bundt cakes are meant to be moist. The ring shape of the pan helps to ensure that the cake won't be undercooked in the middle. In all my years of baking, I confess, I have never made a Bundt cake so I invested in a new pan, and I'm so glad I did. I really enjoy making and sharing this cake. It's inspired me to try out new Bundt cake recipes, too. *See below.
On a side note, the Doolsho Cardamom Sponge Cake calls for standard all purpose flour, but if you need to make a gluten-free cake, it's a snap to convert this recipe. Just buy a pre-packaged 1 to 1 flour and substitute the gluten-free flour. Your cake will turn out perfect! This recipe calls for 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and given the expensiveness of most gluten-free baked goods, this cake is definitely more economical simply because it uses less flour. For this fact alone, I may use the Doolsho recipe as a base for creating more cakes in the future.
The Spice of the Month club has inspired and delighted my baking pursuits. I'm excited to see what future spices and recipes will be featured each month. And if you'd like to partake, stop by the library and head over to the cookbook/baking section. You'll find the spice samples and recipe cards on the end cap.
*In my pursuit of more Bundt cake recipes, here are a few of my new favorite baking books available at the library:
Find Everyday Cake in the library catalog
Find Bake from Scratch in the library catalog
In gorgeous photos and dozens of fresh and flavorful recipes, acclaimed food stylist Jason Schreiber shatters misconceptions about that most maligned of desserts--fruitcake--by imaginatively breaking with convention as he pays homage to the delicious combination of fruit and cake. Forget those dried artificially dyed candied doorstops that everyone regifts and passes on. Fruit Cake is a tasty epicurean tour through dozens of cakes and other pastries that use a variety of fruits, combining them with diverse fillings, as well as liquor, nuts, and more. Interwoven with the recipes are stories, anecdotes and asides that are just as charming and intriguing as the lush, full-color photos that accompany them. Each recipe in Fruit Cake showcases one of thirty-eight fruit, whose natural sweetness and juice make desserts that are perfectly moist and sweet without being overpowering. Indulge your taste buds with his beautiful, fanciful creations, including:
Constant Cravings--cakes like Raspberry Tea Cake and Polenta Pound Cake with Spiced Mandarins that will satisfy your cravings at any hour of day Out of Hand--finger-focused treats perfect for pocketing or dressing to impress, such as Mango Coconut Cashew Bites and Blueberry Ginger Studmuffins
Showstoppers--cakes for the spotlight that you can humblebrag about "just throwing together," including Passionfruit Lime Pavlova and Horchata and Roasted Plum Sorbet Cake
All Rise--the next best thing to eating sumptuous creations like the Blood Orange Bee Sting Cake or Bourbon Peach Kugelhopf, and other sumptuous creations is smelling the just-risen yeasted dough
Soaked--try one slice of these decadent cakes that marinate in booze for days--whether it's the likes of the Pomegranate Molasses Cake or the Fig, Port, and Chocolate Cake--and you'll need a designated driver. Filled with divine desserts for all seasons, this wonderful cookbook will forever change the way you think about fruit and cake.
Find Fruit Cake in the library catalog
Also available for digital checkout:
Hoopla eBook
I hope you find as much joy as I did perusing cookbooks and checking out the Spice of the Month club offerings for October. For more information about the Spice of the Month club, check out the LCL website and stay tuned for more delicious suggestions.
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